Better Late than Never
by Tandy
Summary: Collection of one-shots for my sunken Ship, ESxYD. Rating varies.
1. Chapter 1

_Warning: Un-betad; read at your own risk. Also, I tried to keep it tame considering the tv show was very conservative, but don't expect pecks and hand holding in this fic. If you think you might be offended, don't read. _

* * *

Better Late than Never

Eung Sang took in the crisp autumn air as she made her way back from her mother's place of work through the familiar streets. Good memories assaulted her at every corner; Kim Tan had kissed her on the sidewalk just over there, her mom's happy face as she made her way to work, and of course, the convenience store which had been not only a source of substance on busy days but also Choi Young Do's old hunting grounds.

Maybe it was thinking about him that made her stop short at the sight of a menacing black motorcycle parked at the storefront. It was nothing like the one Choi Young Do used to have. Something about it though reminded her of him. It was curiosity that had her feet change direction from the house her mother worked at to the store. Or maybe it had been instinct, because standing by the counter, his back to her was the unmistakable form of Choi Young Do.

She hadn't seen him in years; they didn't exactly run in the same circles, plus nowadays he was often busy or out of the country running his business. Not to mention they hadn't really spoken since before their school days. Still, seeing him brought a smile to her face, warmth slowly spreading through her heart.

"Choi Young Do."

He turned at her voice, noodle bowl in hand, halfway into slurping the noodles into his mouth. His eyebrows rose high into his forehead at the sight of her. He should have looked silly, with the noodles and everything, but he looked as terrifying as always. His gaze had always unnerved her, and the effect it had on her had only tripled with the passage of time.

He finished his noodles slowly, taking his time to run his eyes from her tennis shoes to the top of her head. She had expected to feel happy to see him, maybe a little wistful, perhaps even nostalgic. She hadn't expected the wallop of whirling emotions warring inside of her; attraction, nerves and embarrassment.

"Cha Eun Sang," he said, smirking in that way of his, his voice holding the same tinge of sarcasm she remembered. Just as his motorcycle had gone from being a pretty toy for a rich boy to a serious machine, his face had lost the sullen look of a rebellious youth and transformed into something much more intimidating. She felt her heart race in her chest, the heady rush of adrenaline that spurned a smile to blossom on her face.

He looked at her askance, and then promptly turned her back on her again. Her smile didn't falter, she just rolled her eyes and walked over to him. She rested her elbows on the counter, looking at him questioningly. He raised those damnable eyebrows of his again, and her stomach gave a delicious flip flop.

"You're still playing this game?"

"What game are you referring to?"

Eun Sang sighed, "The not talking to me game."

"I'm talking to you now," he said with obvious displeasure.

Eun Sang pouted. "You still have no manners. Is that the way to treat an old friend?"

"You and I were never friends, Cha Eun Sang. What do you want?"

She huffed annoyingly, "I only wanted to say hi. I haven't seen you since graduation."

He pushed his more than half full bowl away, turned fully to face her. "Have you always been this annoying or is it a recent development."

"You're obviously still a bully."

He shrugged his shoulders then leaned forward and bent down until they were nose to nose. Eun Sang didn't step back nervously; instead she smiled at his obvious ploy to frighten her. "You don't scare me."

He gave a small laugh. "Is that a challenge, Cha Eun Sang?"

"Do your worse."

Her invitation drew him up short, she could tell, but it also intrigued him. She wasn't the same bashful girl he had known, but Eun Sang was surprised at her own forwardness. She hadn't expected to cross paths with him again, but since she conveniently had, she wasn't at all ready to let him escape just yet.

He was the one that backed away from her, an undecipherable expression on his face. Choi Young Do pursed his lips and frowned at her, then he took grabbed his bottle of water, taking a long swallow that made his Adam's apple bob. It was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. The thought prompted heat to rush to her face.

"You remind me of horror movies." She told him when his gaze fleeted back to her and her telling blush, trying to distract him from her reddened face.

"What?"

"Yeah, those movies that make you feel the danger in the air; keep you at the edge of your seat until the evil finally makes itself known, usually in very imaginative and creative ways. Except with you, nothing really bad happened. It's what we called in the industry anti-climatic."

"Would you have preferred to be taken back to my lair so I could chop you into tiny little pieces?"

"Metaphorically speaking."

His mouth opened in disbelief but only a small scoff came out. She giggled at him, enjoying seeing him at a loss for words. He pulled himself together to glare at her. "Where is my Cha Eun Sang, I think she's been body snatched by a shameless flirt."

She made a face at him. "She might have gone to the same place my Dark Knight ran away to."

"I was never a knight," he spat with distaste. "You, however, were the sweetest girl I've ever known." His voice softened while he reached for her chin with his hand, staring at her as if trying to decide if that girl was still inside her somewhere. Eun San let him look his fill, hoping he would see not only the girl he had tried so hard to win but also the interest in her eyes.

The moment was interrupted by softly snapping fingers. Eun Sang turned instantly, finding her mother standing sheepishly before her, a plastic bag hung from her arm.

_You forgot the food I prepared for you, _her mother signed.

Young Do bowed and greeted her mother politely, maybe even warmly. Her mother smiled broadly back.

_He is a former classmate, _Eun Sang explained. _Thank you for bringing me the food but you didn't need to come all this way, mom. _Eung Sang went to retrieve her food.

_You didn't answer your phone. I remember him. He is a good boy._

_I'll walk you back._

Her mom shook her head vehemently shooing her way. _Stay with your friend. _Her mom waved goodbye to Young Do and scurried out the store quickly, leaving Eun Sang starting after her with a fond smile.

"Ahh, there she is," she heard him say softly.

She turned to face him expecting to see a mocking smile on his face. He was looking at her with an intensity that made her breath catch. "Get out of here, Cha Eun Sang."

"No."

He scoffed at her, picked up his helmet and walked out the door. Eun Sang followed behind him. "Young Do, wait."

"What is it that you want?" He asked, climbing on his bike.

"I- I don't want to let you go just yet. If you leave, we might not see each other again for years." She made her best pouty expression.

He muttered under his breath, rubbed his face tiredly but handed her his second helmet. Eun Sang smiled and climbed behind him. She remembered the advice he had given years before, placing her hands in the pocket of his coat, her mother's packed dinner hanging awkward from her forearm.

The theme song from Halloween played in the back of her head as they traveled the streets of Seoul. Her heart was certainly beating hard enough, and there was a heady feeling in the air filled with expectation. She held on tightly to him, smiling like loon.

Eun Sang bit her lip nervously in the elevator, watching her reflection do the same, trying not to stare too much at his foreboding form. He hadn't said anything at all since they had stopped at his hotel, hadn't encourage her to follow him, or made any move to touch her. It was as if he expected her to tuck tail and run.

But she wasn't a little girl anymore, scared off by his blunt manner and off putting stares. She wasn't going anywhere, not when realized this was a second chance at something she hadn't properly appreciated before. She took a deep breath, and luxuriated in the feeling of being with him, of being nervous, and scared, and intimidated and so damn drawn to him that it made her feel stupid.

The doors slid opened to his penthouse but he didn't move. Maybe he still didn't expect her to go into his hotel room. She laughed and skipped out of the elevator. Her mother's food was placed in the first available surface she encountered. Before she could take a good look at his room he swung her around, pushed her up against the wall. He looked angry and it spurned her further. She rose on her tip toes to kiss his stern lips. "Young Do," she started, "I've been thinking about doing that for such a long time."

He grabbed the back of her neck, pulled her forward to kiss her. The kiss was gentle with only the smallest hint of desperation that told her he must have wanted her lips longer than she'd wanted his. Their bodies were flushed against each other, and she could almost swear she felt sparks from they touched.

He moved from her lips to her neck, kissing her skin softly, reverently. Eun Sang buried his fingers into his thick hair, loving the feel of his mouth, of his hands holding her tight. Impeded by the modest cut of her shirt, he came back to her eager lips, driving her absolutely crazy with his slow drugging kisses. He rested his forehead against hers.

"Eun Sang, why are you here?"

"Because I realized too late that I liked you."

A sardonic brow rose. "You're making it up to me, then?"

"I'm making it up to _me_."

For the first time that night, he seemed to relax, giving her a true, almost boyish, smile before kissing her again. He went back to her lips, kissing her just as gently as before but with a tinge desperation. She kissed him back with a bit more lustily making her need for him more obvious, trying to tell him without words that she'd fantasized about him, his kiss, his touch, for far longer that was healthy.

"It didn't take longer a few minutes for you to have me wrapped around your little finger," he whispered against her mouth. "Didn't take much longer to make me want you just as much, if not more than before."

He bunched his fists into her shirt and pulled up divesting her top in one smooth tug. Eun Sang stood there, while he stared at her, his expression hard. She wished she had on a prettier, sexier bra. The longer he stared the more she felt herself heat. He smirked at her, probably at her obvious blush, and unhooked her bra in a smooth move that spoke of vast experience in bra removal.

He let the offending article of clothing fall to the ground, again gazing at her with such an intensity that made her shiver. He cupped one her breasts, ran his thumbs over the peaks. She hadn't intended to go this far this fast, but now that it had there was no way in hell she was stopping him. "Young Do," she said, wanting him to do something, anything.

His name snapped his gaze up from his formerly stupor. He licked his lips, his eyes filled with lust, desperation and undecipherable emotions. Young Do smiled at her again, a wicked smile that in his younger years promised mischief. This time she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity, she smiled back.

He laughed, bent down to wrap his arms just under her butt and heaved her over his shoulders. "Young Do!" She protested, but she was giggling like mad.

Eun Sang was dumped unceremoniously onto his large bed. He grabbed her foot, unlaced one shoe, pulled it off, then the other. Amusement flittered over his features at her colorful socks, but he shook them off as well. Next he reached for the button of her jeans, lowered the zipper slowly, and slid them off her, panties and all.

Eun Sang rose to her knees, placed his hands beneath his coat, help him shrug it of. The buttons on his shirt were undone one by one, each inch of skin revealed tightening her need a bit more. Once the shirt was on the floor, she reached for the buckle of his belt with trembling hands. His Adam's apple bobbed again, and it was all the courage she needed to unbuckle it, slide it out and drop it to the floor. The rest came easy, the drag of the zipper, the quick shuffle to step out his jeans.

He came to her before she had looked her fill, though not before she taken a good look. She did get a nice glimpse of tapered shoulders and strong arms and flat defined abdomen. Her imagination had been spot on. He was gentle though, and in all her fantasies that had never been the case. She had imagined him rougher and more demanding.

There was no complains, not when he was kissing her oh so sweetly. Not when he took his time making sure every inch of her body was touched by his lips and tongue. Not when he made her feel like the most precious being in the world. Not when he lapped languorously between her thighs, holding her hips steady with his large hands as her back arched off the bed. He build her up slowly, tenderly, only to stop when she was right on the edge.

"Cruel," she panted.

He didn't deny it, just half-smirked as he reached for a nightstand, shuffling the contents inside for a condom. His hands were shaking as he rolled the condom on, belying his urgency. It made her smile, made her feel powerful and strong. She'd done this to him, made Choi Young Do's hands shake.

He looked straight at her when he entered her, inch by slow inch, his eyes dark and intense as always. He made love to her the same way he had kissed her, gently, thoroughly, and soul wrenching. She came in a slow wave that started in her heart and splashed deliciously from her toes to the tip of her hair. It wrecked her completely.

In the afterglow they laid side by side, she was still throbbing and Young Do looked as wrecked as she felt. She had mussed her hair and now it hung over his forehead in endearing spikes. She smiled at the picture he made, but missed those amazing eyebrows so she brushed the hair back, smiling as those eyebrows rose in question.

"What happened with Kim Tan?"

It was bound to come up; she just hadn't thought it would be while she was still naked and tingling. "We grew apart," she started. "The romance wore off once we were no longer star crossed lovers."

"Who broke it off?"

"Does it matter?" She didn't want talk about Tan anymore, not when she had Young Do naked.

"It does."

She sighed. "I did. I was busy working, with school, with mom. Something had to give. Tan wasn't happy but that's just his stubbornness. You know what they say, first loves never end well."

"Yes, I would know."

"I liked you too." She said, sliding over to roll onto him, letting her breasts press into his hard chest.

"But you liked him more," he stated, running his hand from her shoulder blades to the dip on her back.

"Yes and no. At first you terrified me, and you were a jerk, and later, later you still terrified me, " she laughed, burying her face into his neck. "You made me nervous, made me feel awkward and silly. It was easier to like Tan."

"There was also a part of me that felt your infatuation had more to do with Kim Tan's interest in me than anything else. I thought myself too boring to have ever caught your eye otherwise."

He flipped them over, and the look he gave her made her shiver. "I saw you for the first time when you were working for that chicken place, you had been wearing that ugly yellow and red uniform. You breezed by me without noticing my interested gawk." His sweet confession was spoiled by the rumbling of her stomach. "Yet another thing I've always liked about you; your healthy appetite. Stay here."

They dined on her mother's food right on his ridiculous large the bed, the colorful plastic containers scattered over the covers. They shared dishes and a pair of chopsticks that he managed to scrounge up from a forgotten cupboard.

"I saw your movie," he said between mouthfuls.

"Not my movie," she said. "I was only part of the writing team. I'm working on my own project though, with Hyo Shin."

"Let me guess. Horror?"

"I have a thing for the horror genre."

"I've noticed," he said, his eyebrows wagging suggestively.

Eun Sang laughed and stole the chopsticks away from him. They ended up eating every item her mother had packed, down to the last grain of rice. In a stupor caused by eating good food and having great sex, they were lulled to sleep.

Eun Sang woke up who knows when later. She turned to her side, watching Young Do sleep. She was giddy for a few minutes until she realized she was in quite a predicament. What was the proper etiquette for situations such as this? Should she stay the night or leave now? Should she wake him to take her home or leave by herself? She felt a bit unsure, somewhat awkward now when she hadn't before. The whole night had been amazing, and she didn't regret a thing, however, she hadn't the slightest clue how to proceed. She wanted to stay of course, but wasn't too sure about Young Do's reaction to that. He wasn't that lovesick boy anymore.

She made a move to get out bed, trying to gather her thoughts somewhere other than by his tempting and appealing naked body. If she let herself, she'd wind up back into bed, and might never want to get out. As her feet touched the floor a hand clasped around her wrist firmly, pulling her back into bed. Eun Sang smiled into the darkness as he tucked her into his body. She felt asleep with a smile on her face and the thought that it was better late than never.

The End

_Any thoughts? _


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for all the people that reviewed the previous one shot. To be clear this is not a continuation of the first chapter. This is a one-shot set shortly after the drama ended.

Warning: Unbeta'd; read at your own risk.

Rating: T

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Eun Sang wasn't the type of girl that only wanted things she couldn't have. She wasn't the type to play games, to get bored the instant she got what she wanted. She had never envied another's new toys. Cha Eun Sang was a serious and cautious teenager, much more so that her peers. It was ridiculous that she should be feeling this now, after everything had finally settled, after she had finally become yesterday's gossip. She shoved a morsel of food into her mouth in the school cafeteria, staring sullenly ahead, ignoring the couple that was just in her periphery.

If she wasn't that type of girl, then why did she feel her heart was being ripped out of her chest? Why did looking at them make her want to cry? Jealousy was such a clichéd way to find out you might have made a mistake. Or that you were a boy crazy teenager that enjoyed being fought over by two cute boys.

Another furtive look had her skin crawling. Vivian, the new transfer student from America, smiling wide, her lips a glossy pink, sitting close to Choi Young Do, speaking to him. The most shocking aspect, Young Do was listening, talking back, seemingly enjoying her company. She turned decidedly further away from the horrid sight, making sure she couldn't even glimpse at the couple.

Eun Sang hated Vivian in a way she had never hated anyone else, not even Rachel. It didn't help that the girl was pretty, had an easy smile, and a quick laugh. Vivian had class, sophistication oozed out from her very being, the true kind, not the childish attempts so many of her classmates tried and failed at. Vivian was smart, beautiful and fashionable. The kicker was that girl was actually quite nice, treating everyone with the same friendly manner. Her sunny disposition had charmed most of the school.

Young Do had taken longer than most to thaw to her appeal, something that wasn't lost of the American. Instead of being put off, Vivian had seemed intrigued by his indifference and had made it her goal to befriend him. Three months later and they were passed being just friends. Eun Sang gritted her teeth, thinking how loose the other girl was with her affections. They hardly held hands, but Vivian greeted him with a kiss every morning, and not a friendly peck on the cheek, a full on smack on the lips without regard at all at how that looked.

That was another thing about Vivian, she didn't care about what people thought. She strutted around school with her a quiet rebellion, wearing a blue shirt under her uniform instead of the standard issue, pinning buttons of obscure American bands on her backpack or simply being nice to the students that were not to be spoken to. Vivian had been nothing but kind to Eun Sang, and up to the point that Vivian had set her sights on Young Do, she had actually sort of looked up to her.

"Eun Sang?" Kim Tam sat down next to her, a frown marring his handsome face. "Why are you sitting like that?"

She flushed, turned to give her boyfriend a smile, catching sight of Vivian leaning in with a giggle to kiss Young Do's stern face. Eun Sang's smile wobbled.

Tan followed her gaze, "I see." He stood up deliberately, slowly, making sure she saw his anger and hurt. It wasn't the first time she'd been caught staring at Young Do.

"Oppa, wait," she called after him, following him out of the cafeteria, leaving the happy couple behind.

* * *

Was it her back luck or Young Do's cruel streak that brought them to her place of work?

Since Young Do stopped paying her any mind for a long while, it had to be her cursed luck. Her face hurt from smiling as Vivian and Young Do ordered the drinks. Vivian tried to chat with her in her usual happy manner. Under his gaze, she felt invisible; he treated her like he would any other juice bar worker.

Eun Sang took them their drinks, clutching the tray tightly. They were speaking to each other in English, a language she still didn't have a grasp on. Both were immersed into one another that they hardly noticed her placing their drinks on their table. She stared at Young Do for longer than was polite but to no avail, he never glanced at her.

She turned back, hating Vivian even more, imagining all sort of tragedies occurring to her. A sharp bark of laughter stopped her gory reverie, making her turned back. Young Do was laughing. His face was softened, as he kept chuckling at something Vivian had said. It was sight. It prompted a smile from Eun Sang. It was the first time she heard him laugh like that, without sarcasm or pain or to mock.

Perhaps finally sensing her gaze his eyes zeroed in on hers, smile caught mid-frame. He didn't spare her more than a second before turning to Vivian. Eun Sang turned around ashamed, feeling as if she had intruded in a private moment. She had lost all rights to Young Do's smiles and laughter.

Besides, she had never made him laugh like that.

She went back behind the counter, fighting back tears. Young Do had wanted her when she had wanted to be with Tan, and now that she wanted him he was with Vivian. Her life was what dramas were made of. How it happened she didn't know. She had finally been able to walk with her head held high with Tan, though still aware of Young Do burning gaze on her. Then Vivian had transferred and everything changed. There was no burn from his gaze any longer; instead they followed the quirky American, intrigued, rapt.

She missed his stare. She missed his sardonic brows. She missed his smirking face.

What a mess she had made of everything. The worst part is that she had hurt Tan. Like Young Do, he wasn't speaking to her. All that they had been put through, the angst and tears, she'd thrown that all away. And for what? Young Do acted as if she didn't exist. The fact that she had never seen him happier was salt in her wounds.

A good person would be happy for him. She must be a horrible person because that's not what she felt at all. No, she wanted to strike Vivian's pretty smile off her face, wanted to yell and scream until Young Do looked at her again, really look at her. She wanted Young Do to be unhappy again and pining for her. Fantasies had been woven regarding putting him out of his misery and finally saying 'I like you.'

That dream had been shattered when Young Do hadn't batted an eye when she and Tan had broken up. For weeks afterwards Eun Sang had been hopeful that he would go back to pursing her. Or at least talk to her. Young Do remained firmly by Vivian's side.

Eun Sang wiped the tears that had fallen furiously away. She had made her peace with Young Do moving on a while back. She wasn't one to dawdle at work, but it was hard enough to see them at school. To have them here now, that was just too much.

"Hey,"

His voice cut through her misery. With her back still turned, she grabbed a napkin, hoping to erase all traces of her tears over him. Her hand stopped midway to her face. She turned around, her face still stained, more tears escaping her.

At least he should know.

He took a step back at the sight. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it with visible reluctance.

"I matter so little that you won't even bother to ask me what's wrong?"

He was taken aback. "We are nothing to each other, Cha Eun Sang. You're just the girl who takes my order."

Cha Eun Sang laugh self-deprecatingly. "I guess I deserve that." She swallowed thickly and smiled. "How may I help you?"

"Never mind," he said and walked away frowning. It reminded her of the way he used to look at her, part perplexed, part hopeful, part hurt puppy dog.

"Young Do!"

He stopped but didn't turn around. "What?"

"I-" What could she possibly say to him; especially considering his girlfriend was staring at them in confusion.

"Spit it out. I don't have all day."

Eun Sang looked down. "Vivian is lucky to have you."

* * *

Eung Sang's eyes were instantly drawn to his form as she walked into the library. She bit her lip, feeling unsure. A quick survey of the room revealed no empty tables. To escape, she turned into the aisles, pretending to be searching for a book. The titles in front of her were blurred, dulled by the knowledge that Young Do was just around the corner.

He and Vivian had broken up a while back, a few days after Young Do had seen her crying. She had thought that maybe Young Do had realized her feelings for him and ended things with Vivian for the sole purpose of being with her. She waited for him to approach her, ready to smile and tell him how happy she was. As the days passed and Young Do continued to ignore she came to the realization that Young Do was no longer interested in her.

With a deep sigh she let her head drop against the row of books. She wanted the feeling of her heart being squeezed painfully to go away already. It felt like a dark cloud was following her around, making everything gloomy and sad. Day and night she thought about Young Do, wishing she could go back in time, make different choices.

A presence behind her made her straightened. She swallowed hard as an arm reached over her for a book. She inhaled sharply, not knowing what to do, her pulse beating rapidly preventing any coherent thought. A puff of breath behind her ear sent tingles down her spine. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. This was it, this was the moment he would tell her he cared for her still.

"I'm not chasing you again, Cha Eung Sang."

Her eyes opened in shock. She turned around slowly, looked up to his looming figure and angry eyes.

"This time you're going to have to do the chasing."

She blushed furiously. "What?"

"You heard me."

He smirked at her and walked away leaving her blinking in confusion.

* * *

Eun Sang wasn't vivacious like Vivian, obnoxiously cute like Bo Na, or devious like Rachel. So she didn't know how to go about this 'chasing' business. She wasn't entirely sure Young Do wasn't playing a cruel joke on her. He hadn't approached her again after the incident at the library. He treated her with the same indifference she'd become accustomed from him.

Timid by nature she couldn't even look at him without feeling a bright blush cover her features. Even smiling was precarious when his only response was a slight raise of his eyebrows. Chase him? She couldn't even walk near him without tripping over her own two feet.

She didn't know what he wanted, perhaps just to sooth his wounded pride, but not only was Eun Sang not skilled in the art of wooing broody boys, she wasn't going to play his game. It was stupid, and obviously designed to punish her. He was being silly. Boyish.

The one concession she had made had left her fretting throughout the weekend. Now she walked to school with obvious anxiety, not knowing if she was going to find a gloating Young Do or a smiling one. Perhaps there would be no reaction, as that was his most common weapon. There was a slight chance that he hadn't even seen it.

He was waiting for her at the entrance of the school, long legs crossed and leaning back against the wall, his expression one of barely concealed glee. He'd seen it alright. He smirked at her as she neared.

"Is that the best you can do? If you were a boy you'd be single for the rest of your life with those tactics."

On queue her face reddened. She muttered under her breath and tried to bypass him. He blocked her way into the school. "I don't know what you want, only that I think you're trying to punish me. But if you're that angry at me, then I don't think you really care for me. I've been punished enough. I hurt Tan, I hurt you, and I've been hurting for a long time now, watching you with Vivian, feeling the brunt of your coldness," she said all this while looking over his shoulder, knowing if she looked into his eyes she'd lose her courage. "If you didn't know how I felt, now you do."

On a fit of turmoil and desperation she'd gone to the noodle place he frequented, the one with the writing board. In bright purple letters she'd written:

_I like you,_

_ CES_

He grabbed her wrist gently before she could side stepped him. She looked up, her face still burning. "Cha Eun Sang, why must you always be so difficult?"

"I'm sure Vivian was easier," the scathing remark came out before she could stop it.

He smirked down at her, his evil eyebrows making him look sinister. It made her knees weak. His stare was burning her, and a part of her was ecstatic, finally she was back to being the center of his focus. "She is. And pretty too, don't you think?"

They were starting to draw a crowd, Eun Sang realized, with Tan and Vivian part of the audience. She tried to disentangle her arms from him, but he held on tenaciously. "Let me go."

"Unfortunately, she's nursing a broken heart as was I. What better way to try to forget a failed romance than to try your hand at a new one. I'm not going to lie, she was fun, but she's not who I want."

"Then why have you been so cruel to me? Especially after you knew that I…"

"I haven't been any crueler than you were to me."

"So you're never going to forgive me?"

"Is not about forgiveness. I've never felt for anyone what I feel for you... and you wrecked me. Utterly."

"What can I do to fix it?" God, but he was looking at her with such emotion. His voice had gone thick, and all she could do was hope that she could fix it, that she could make up for every slight and insult.

"Choose me."

"I have."

"Choose me, right here, in front of everyone." He raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Kiss me."

Instantly, she looked at the gathered crowed. They were far enough that they probably couldn't hear what was being spoken. She wallowed hard. Her eyes caught Tan's and she sent him a silent apology, feeling shamed. "You want Tan to see."

"I want everyone to see."

She turned back to Young Do to reprimand him for making such a childish demand, for wanting to rub Tan's face in the dirt, for wanting to mark her publically as his. His expression wasn't possessive; more than anything he looked fearful. Eun Sang saw the fear behind his bravado, the young boy who was never good enough for his father, the child that had been abandoned by his mother, the bully that he'd been, desperate for attention, respect and control. He needed this from her.

Eun Sang tucked a hair behind her ear nervously, biting her lips. Eun Sang needed this too. He was giving her control, the power to refuse or accept. As always, he gave her the choice. He challenged, but didn't push, didn't pressure. It was a strange and scary power.

She knew the exact moment he realized she was actually going to do it. His gaze flew to her lips, and then disbelievingly to her eyes.

"Eun Sa-"

But she was rising to her toes already, her eyes sliding shut. The crowd disappeared, the world narrowing to the just the two of them. She caught the last syllables of her name with her lips which transitioned into a low moan. His hands slid onto her hips, and the peck she had intended morphed into a show of affection that would certainly have disciplinary consequences in the conservative school.

A swipe of his tongue had her lips opening up eagerly, her arms sliding over his shoulders to wrap around his neck to bring him even closer. Yes, detention at the very least, Eung Sang thought as Young Do bit her bottom lip, buried a large hand on the nape of her neck, kissing her harder. Worth it, so worth it.

It was telling that it was him that broke the kiss. She could have gone on forever. She was loathed to opened her eyes, to let the world back in. But it was only his face that she saw, smiling softly, his eyes burning with emotion. She smiled at him, happy, pleased with herself. His smile grew wider, self-satisfied.

"I'll walk you to class," he said, swinging an arm over her shoulders, glaring at everyone assembled as he did so. The crowd dispersed in an instant.

There would be no more blushing, not after that, so she only nodded, ignoring the whispers and lingering glances. The dark cloud had been vanished, and there was nothing that could dull this moment for her. She looked up at him, smiling like crazy, he looked down and finally, _finally_, laughed with her in happiness.

The End.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I hope you guys like this one too. _

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Bo Na's and Chan Young's wedding was the stuff of fairy tales. Too Bad Eun Sang felt like the ugly step sister. To her it was like a high school reunion from hell, one she'd had never intended to go to. But it was Chan Young and he had insisted. Now here she was, sipping on champagne being fussed over Tan, who was playing benefactor to her again while ignoring his own disgruntled date.

"Tan, I'm fine, really. Go dance or something."

"Do you want to?"

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I meant with your date."

Tan blinked at her, then looked back at his girl. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

Sheepishly he asked the frowning girl if she wanted to dance. Off they went, the girl glaring daggers at Eun Sang. It appeared her ability to piss off rich girls was still highly honed. Speaking of rich girls, Rachel was giving her the stink eye again. Eun Sang waved merrily at her, smiling widely. Rachel sneered before turning back to the group of gossiping girls.

Five years should have been enough to cool Rachel's temper, to calm the wagging tongues, but to no avail. In this social circle she would always be an oddity. And to Rachel she would always be the enemy. She left the hall with a sigh, feeling every eye in the room follow her out into the gardens.

In the dimness of the night, she let her shoulders fall, let her guard down. Chan Young owed her, and big. So did Bo Na with her innocent face promising no one would even care about her high school convoluted relationships and status. Ha!

"Did you tell your guard dog you were coming out here?"

There he was, one side of her old love triangle, as broody as ever, and the tipping point in her decision to come to the damn wedding. She'd wanted a peek at him. More than a peek, she admitted, she'd been peeking at him in the society pages for years. He was usually photographed with his arms around a beautiful woman, mainly Rachel. He looked even more appealing in person, absolutely mouthwatering in his tux.

"I didn't come here with Tan."

"Does he know that?" he asks, encroaching on her personal space as he had been prone to do.

Eun Sang ignored the snide question. "What are you doing? Skulking around, spying on the wedding? Bo Na will have you killed if you don't show your face. Not to mention Rachel."

He gave her his wolfish grin, his pointed eyebrows exacerbating the effect. She'd missed that damn grin and the glint in his eyes that spelled trouble. "Sister managed to sucker a poor fool into accompanying her tonight."

"Rachel will still murder you for being out here with me."

"Sister is more bark than bite."

"I beg to differ." She says, taking one step closer to him, delighting in his surprised reaction. "But you didn't answer my question. What are you doing skulking around?"

"I don't skulk."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you rich people have another word for it."

He gave a sharp bark of laughter. Young Do moved away from her to lean against the wall. Another sight she's missed. His lanky body lazily reclining, his expression predatory. "I was simply indulging my curiosity."

"Has it been satisfied?"

"Very much so." He cocked his head to study her from head to foot. "I came to see you. For years I've convinced myself that you were nothing but a silly infatuation." He shrugs his shoulders as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Tonight I confirmed it."

"Liar," she says, following him, looking up at him with a smile on her face. He raises a dark brow at her closeness. "Such intensity for a mere infatuation? No, I don't believe it. No one's looked at me in quite the same way you did since."

He grinds his jaw in the way she remembers when he's strategizing his defense. Young Do shakes his head and smiles at her, dismisses her with a nonchalant jerk of his head. "Believe what you want."

The only thing that had made the idea of attending this exercise in self-torture was the possibility that Young Do would be here. For months, since she had known the date, she'd been fantasizing this encounter. Of course, she hadn't imagined he'd be this difficult, but then again, Young Do was always difficult so it wasn't much of a surprise. Eun Sang wasn't about to be dismissed this easily.

She relished his shock when she took hold of his lapels, her hands firm as they grabbed on, forcing him down even as she rose on her tip-toes. His eyes focus on her lips and then her eyes, and he bents lower on his own volition to meet her lips.

Better than she imagined, she thinks vaguely, as Young Do's hand goes to the back of her neck, pulling her harder to him. Her own hands release the lapels and go underneath his tuxedo's jacket to wrap around his broad back. Like his personality, Young Do's kisses are aggressive and demanding. They taste almost like threats.

"Yah! Choi Young Do!"

A loud and frustrated groan comes out of her mouth at the interruption that has Young Do snapping his head up. He's pulling away, protecting himself and all that Eun Sang can do is keep his hands around him. He's tense where before he was melting into her. Damn Tan, she could kill him.

"Told you he'd come sniffing after you," he snarls. Then he pulls away from her embrace, garnishing her with a look that tells her with heartbreaking clarity what he thinks is going to happen. She'll just have to prove him wrong.

Her pulse is racing, her lips feel swollen and she can still taste him on her tongue. She takes a deep breath, and tries very hard to sound calm and controlled. "Tan, go back to the party."

"But, Eung Sang-" He doesn't say anything else, just stares at her, at them, as if they're not following the script. He looks positively put out, his handsome face puzzled but determined.

"Go," she says sufficiently angry that it takes him aback. "I'm fine."

"If that's what you want," he says but his eyes dart suspiciously to Young Do. "If he tries anything-"

"I'm counting on it," Eun Sang tells him, shocking him into speechlessness.

He swallows hard and turns around in a huff. Eun Sang watches him go, feeling just a teeny tiny bit guilty. He had only been trying to protect her, though Tan's personal brand of protectiveness could often cross into unreasonableness. She'll soothe his hurt feelings later.

"You've just about knocked him out of his axis."

"What?"

"Choosing to stay out here, in the dark night, instead of joining him in the bright lights of the party. It must have shifted his world view."

"He'll live," Eung Sang states dryly. "Now where were we?"

"I believe you were in the middle of accosting me."

"Hmm… that's right."

Before she can put her hands around him again, he puts his hands on her shoulders to keep her at arm's length. Eun Sang pouts theatrically, and he laughs despite his best efforts not to. "This feels strange," he says, finally controlling his grin, his face serious as he studies her. "Villains don't get the girl."

"You're no villain. A misunderstood anti-hero certainly. Very byronesque."

He laughs again, and her whole body tingles in pleasure. Drawing out his smile and laughter is quickly becoming her favorite pastime. His hands lower from her shoulders to her arms, and he pulls her closer. "You're being naïve, Eun Sang. I'm not that boy anymore."

"And I'm just an infatuation, right?" She bites her lip, "So what does it matter?"

He looks down to her lips again. His fingers tighten on her arms, but he lets her step closer to him. "I'm curious too," she says softly against his lips. "And my curiosity hasn't been assuaged, not in the slightest."

She closes the gap between them, kissing him for all she's worth, trying to make him see, trying to gain the courage to keep pursuing him. She had hurt him badly before and now she's dealing with the consequences of his distrust. Still, he responds wholeheartedly to her, pushing her against the wall, leaving her lips for the column of her throat, where he nips and sucks hard enough to leave marks.

Eun Sang hadn't lied when she told him no one else had looked at her with the same intensity he did. She reveled in his attention now, in the very intensity that used to terrify her. She'd wanted to experience it again, wanted to _feel_ it again. Had wanted to know if she'd been blowing her memories of him out of proportion. But no, if anything she'd been underestimating the effect he could wield on her.

She groans again, loudly, definitely unladylike when he jerks away from her. "Now what?"

"There," he says, backing away further, visibly shaken, his hair messed from its usual slick style by her hands. "That should be enough for your curiosity."

Eun Sang sighs, "If I was just an infatuation, why are you so damn scared?"

"Because you weren't, and it does matter, you matter," he confesses, "and I've no desire to relive our history."

"We won't. Look, maybe I'm coming out a little too strong. I'm sorry. It's just that-" Eun Sang tries to find the right words. "High school is over, and I'm supposed to have moved on, supposed to attribute my actions to youthfulness, hormones and stupidity. But I can't. All I think about is you. I'm drawn back to the time when I had your laugh and your smirk and even your ever present broody mood. I want them back." She feels silly telling him all this. He'll think her silly as well, but since she'd already spilled her guts, what worse could it be if she embarrasses herself some more. "I'll be more careful with them this time around," she promises with a sheepish smile.

He remains stubbornly silent, his hands in the pocket of his trousers, staring at her as if he can't make heads or tails out of her. She doesn't approach him this time, merely stretches out her hand to him in invitation.

"Young Do…" He doesn't react. "How about we get out of here? Grab some dinner, talk?"

A short laugh from him again has her spirits lifting. "Did you just ask me out on a date?" Young Do asks in disbelief.

"Yeah," she says, her outstretched hand going to nervously brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "I guess I did." And she didn't know why that was a bigger deal than what she had already done.

"I have to go in. I gave my word to Bo Na I'd make an appearance tonight," he says, and Eun Sang hope dies a painful death. "Come on," he says, walking by her. "Let's go."

She snorts at the thought of going back in. "I'm not braving that crowd again."

"You'll have to," he says, stopping to glare down at her, his eyes burning, "at some point, Eun Sang. That's my crowd, my people, so be sure."

Understanding dawns at her and she smiles despite the truth in his words. A smile cracks his face too, and they stare at each other like idiots for a long while. She reaches up to smooth his hair back, "You can't go in like that. You look like-"

"I've been attacked by a deranged fangirl?"

"Hmm." His hair isn't cooperating at all, and she doubts it can be fully put to rights.

"You don't look much better yourself. Your lips are swollen, your face is flushed, and I do believe there's a mark on your neck." The last part he says while rubbing his thumb lightly over the mark, not without some pride. "We're not going to be fooling anyone, might as well indulge further."

He was looming over her, backing her up against the wall again, taking her lips and her sanity. Her last lucid thought is; _Finally_.

The End


End file.
